Nursery bead or block.



L. MORSE.

NURSERY BEAD 0R BLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED mm. 22. l9l8.

1,287,397. h Patented Dec.10, 1918.

A TTORNEVS LEO MORSE, or NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB T0 LEO MORSE, me, on NEW YORK, n. Y.,

7 A ooaroRArIoN on NEW YORK.

NURSERY 'BEAID OR BLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

Application filed March 22, 1918. Seria1No.224,016.

highest degreeflof safety as well as amusement to .thechildren.

More definitely stated one ofrmy objects is to provide a nursery toy that is practically indestructible, and moreover one that is .sanitaryand hence well adapted to be inserted into a childsmouth with impunity.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a head or a series of bead elements adapted to be strung or otherwise associated in a series, eachbead element being strong and rigid, and also thelbead elements being finished or fitted. with attractive figures or the like calculated to afford interest,-amusement, or even educational qualifications.

- With the foregoing and other objects in.

view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is an elevation of a string of beads embodying my improvements.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of one manner of constructing the beads and the attachment means therefor.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing a slightly modified form of construction.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a. rectangular block.

Fig. 5 is an elevation, partly in section, of a teething ring; and

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line 66 of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings I show in Fig. 1 a connected assemblage or endless series of head elements 10 preferably made either as shown in Fig. 2 or Fig. 3, each element comprising broadly an approximately solid rigid core 11 preferably of wood and mainly in cylindrical form, but having its ends of a spherical curvature as shown in Fig. 2 at 12, or cut off flat as shown in Fig. 3 at 13.

The main or cylindrical portion of the core is provided with a coating or j acket 1 1 of celluloid or any other suitableharmless sanitary and practically unbreakable substance, substantially coextensive with said cylindrical part. At each end'of the bead or block I provide a cap 15 having a'flange cemented or otherwise fixed thereto. Said cap as shown in Fig. 2 is formed preferably of the same spherical curvature as the end 12 of the core upon which it is directly fitted, or with the cap employed as shown in Fig. 3 with the inner concave surface thereof spaced from the fiat end of the core 11, a space is provided for the accommodation of the laterally deflected points 16 of .a loop member 17.

The core in any of its forms is preferably provided with a central bore 18 which in any case will serve .to lighten the bead or block,

but as suggested in Fig. 2 thebore '18 of any number of the beads or blocks may be utilized for the purpose of assembling or stringing the bead elements either into endless series or a string having loose ends. The caps 15 are provided with holes 19 which register with the bores 18.

As shown in Fig. 2 the loop device is such as to provide two loops 17 integral with each other through a shank 20 passing through the bore 18. This connecting de vice is preferably of rod celluloid and hence easily flexed and shaped when heated. One of the ways for carrying out this part of the invention is to attach a ring or link 21 or the like to one loop 17 which may be easily effected by snapping it between the shank 20 and the point 22; then the shank and opposite end or loop portion of the device is slipped through the bead bringing the point 22 into the osition shown in Fig. 2. The other loop 1 is then bent into the position shown in Fig. 2, the point 22' thereof after being passed through a link 21 if desired of the adjacent member of the series, will be slipped into the opposite end of the bead 15 overlapping the end of the jacket and where it will be held by virtue of the natural rigidity of the loop structure after it becomes cold. It will thus be seen that in this form of the invention I provide a means for connectin adjacent elements of the series or string by means that is both strong and permanent as well as safe and sanitary for children.

The form of the connector in Fig. 3, having the points 16 spread out of the space between the cap and the end of the core may for some purposes be regarded as the equivalent but is not quite so strong as the form shown in Fig. 2 and neither is the cap structure quite so unbreakable since it is not so intimately backed up by the end of the core.

F ig. 4 shows the improvement of either cubical or rectangular formation and comprising a core 11 perferably of rigid wood or the like. It may be provided with a bore 18 for the sake of lightness or for stringing, or if desired the core obviously may be solid throughout. As in the other forms the core is provided with a closely fitted jacket 14. coextensive with the side portions of the core. There are also provided end pieces or caps 15 having flanges overlapping the ends of the jacket and cemented or otherwise permanently fastened thereto. These caps may likewise be furnished with holes 19 to register with the bore 18.

In Fig. 5 the core 11 is of rigid wood, or its equivalent, and is provided with a close fitting celluloid jacket 14 likewise of annular form and hence rigidly and permanently mounted upon the core.

r In all forms of my invention the bead 0r block elements of whatever shape or configuration are strong and rlgld and yet provided with clean or easily cleansable surface material such as celluloid which is well adapted to bear various features of ornamentation such as coloring or tinting or in the nature of attractive figures representing familiar objects, pets or fanciful devices calculated to amuse, interest or even instruct a child. In the practice of my invention the figures or characters applied to the celluloid are so coated over as to make the coloring matter permanent and hence insoluble if the child puts the toy or plaything into its mouth.

I claim:

1. The herein described toy comprising a series of block elements each having a solid core with a longitudinal bore therethrough and connectors between adjacent block elements, said connectors including link members one of which for each block comprises a shank extending entirely through said bore and having the end portions thereof bent into loops, and having the extreme ends thereof returned into the core parallel to the shank.

2. The herein described toy comprising a series of elements, each element comprising a relatively solid core, a coating of ornamental material fitted upon the outer surface of the core and having holes in the opposite ends, and links connecting means between adjacent elements, said connecting means including loop members having shank portions extending inward through said end holes, substantially as set forth.

LEO MORSE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. G. 

